>> employees were made aware monday that several graves were disrupted. there were vases, bronze vases adhered or affixed to the grave marks that were stolen. an estimated 75 were taken. >> reporter: in early september someone took about 30 vases president the thieves are after the metal. the price of the bronze is $1.69 a pound. all told, they disturb the peace of the dead and the family for about $300. the urns cost the families anywhere from $600 to $700. he said we are saddened by these thefts. he said they're working with anne arundel county police to find out who did this. meantime police said the thieves may be stealing something they can't sell. >> we work diligently with the

scrap metal dealers. it's illegal for them to take in these types of products, particularly urns, markers. we will continue to make them aware that they can't do that. >> he said they are asking families who have seen that their urn has been missing from their loved ones grave to contact their office immediately. they're offering to replace them with one made out of disirchg. it's light are and not worth as much as bronze. county police are working with several leads and asking anyone with information to contact them. roosevelt leftwich, abc2 news. the first of a human skeleton has been removed from a vacant lot. people walking on a path near 40 discovered the remains. all we know is the bones appear to be those of a man. the state examine examine's office is work -- exam

examiner's office is working to identify it. 83-year-old richard herring of elkton died on monday while on the side of a busy highway. an suv rolled over and herring was trying to help him. he fell 35 feet to his death. he leaves behind a wife and four children. hundreds of homes are being searched looking for jessica ridgeway. in the meantime her backpack, which was found six miles from her house, is being processed in a crime lab. it's the only trace of her sense she disappeared last friday. >> the bottom line is to gives ideas and evidence of who may have been in contact with this and where we can focus the search. >> police are also checking reports that three weeks ago a suspicious man was seen approaching children. right now they have nothing to

suggest that it's related to jessica's disappearance. now jerry sandusky will spend the rest of his life behind bars. t.j. winick reports. sandusky is planning an appeal. >> reporter: these pictures of jerry sandusky at the county courthouse could be the last time we seat former penn state football coach handed doe file outside prison walls. today the 68-year-old received sentence of 30 to 60 years. the order was handed down have the three of his victims spoke, including victim number one. >> when the sentence was handed down it was very emotional. >> reporter: when it was his turn, sandusky said he spent his time medicate -- meditating and writing. >> they can take away my life, they can make me out as a monster,

they can treat me as a monster, but they can't take away my heart. in my heart, i know i did not do these alleged disgusting acts. >> reporter: the lead prosecutor said sandusky's statement was in keeping with his behavior. >> he displays deaf viians, narcissism. >> reporter: he claims he didn't have time to prepare a proper defense. >> i think there were so many different parties involved in this who wanted this to go away. >> reporter: sandusky's security will be an issue as they try to place him in the population because he may be a target for other inmates. if a fire broke out in your home, would your family know what to do? safety experts want you to come up with an escape plan. they're also enscurging you to

check all the smoke alarms in your house to make sure they work. house fires cost $2 billion in damage between 2008 and 2010. there has one thing you expect when you go to a foos food chain -- fast food chain. which restaurant can dish out the meal the quickest. the results are coming up. plus, the mess left behind thousands of fans. we go behind the scenes to see what happens when you leave the stands and the cleaning begins. >> here's a shot of lovely kent island. the clouds will be with us, the drizzle. we'll have the forecast coming up on the other side of this break.

david smallwood: maryland money needs to stay in maryland. it's just that simple, i mean, it's a no brainer. anncr: every year marylanders spend five hundred and fifty... million at casinos in west virginia, delaware... and pennsylvania. one west virginia paper calls it a "cash cow" for them. but its cost maryland over one billion dollars. money that could have created good jobs and... better schools for us. question seven keeps maryland money in maryland. david smallwood: question seven, i think it will be a... good thing for the state of maryland.

when you pull up to a drive-through, you want your food quick. windy and chick-fil-a reigns you is free. windy scored highest for delivering drive-through meals the fastest with an average time of two minutes and 10 seconds. last place is mcdonald's.

>> delays on american airlines flights are costing the carriers some of their most lucrative customers -- business passengers. they lost 3% last month compared to a year ago. business travelers said they can't risk being late so they are book elsewhere. social security checks are going to be slightly bigger next year. recipients can expect a bump between 1.5% and 1.7%. less than half of last year. the labor department is releasing its september inflation reading next week. the social security administration will announce the exact benefits increase. open enrollment season is right around the corner. we have some pointers you may want to know before you choose a healthcare provider for you and your family. >> reporter: open enrollment can be a tedious task for many people. this year choosing your

healthcare coverage could be a lot less stressful if you know a few things up front. first there are a few changes. comparing healthcare plans should be a lot simpler. information packets will include simple summaries of coverage costs allowing you to compare not only your company's plan but your spousal's plan. women's coverage is about to get better because of healthcare reform. insurers must cover annual wellness visits and contraceptives. there are more plans to choose from. there will be more than the basic choice. new options will include employee plus spouse or employee plus children. flexible spending account alownesses are shrinking. you'll be able to set aside $2500 pretax. that's dunn from the current $5,000 limit. for more check out cnn money.com

or money magazine. not worrying about that popcorn you dropped or the soda you spill but somebody as to clean up after the game. we'll introduce you to some of the unsung heroes. >> these chefs are making squirrel sing at the dinner table. the recipes they're trying as part of a special cookoff.

look at that, a nice looking day. the clouds, yeah, they hung tough. this is a look at the greens. notice not many golfers out there today. low clouds, a little fog toward the overnight hours. a lot of clouds looking toward the keep bridge. dundalk, a struggle to get into the mid to upper 50s.

didn't feel as chilly to yesterday afternoon. our temperatures are starting to move and move in the opposite direction. here's a shot downtown looking at the harbor. expecting the fog for the overnight. 72% humidity. dew point around 51. we have a lot of low level moisture in play. that will aid in fog development. 60 degrees at bwi. that's nine below average. i think we'll get to 70 tomorrow afternoon before things will start to change once again. man, would that feel good, 94 degrees. that was set in 2007. cooler spots toward the west. all in all it's uniformly around 61 degrees. 50s over the eastern shore and little fog toward dover with a temperature around 59 degrees. these are statistics the last 24 hours. we're seven degrees warmer compared to where we were this time yesterday. 11 in frederick.

things are looking good. starting to feel better. then we'll get into cooler air by thursday. cloud unless place through the course of the -- clouds in place through the course of the evening. at 11 around 53 degrees. mainly cloudy skies. could be a spot drizzle, especially the further south and east you head on 95. a couple pockets of drizzle near rockville. showers around queen anne's county. some of the pockets of drizzle will try to roll on shore. clear skies toward the west. ohio valley, that's going to be with us during the course of your afternoon tomorrow and some spotty showers will develop with the cool front that will come in during your day on thursday. so, again, notice the warming trend back over chicago, 64, 67 memphis. here's the cooler air over minneapolis st. paul, 48

degrees. mild tomorrow. cooler by thursday and in between on friday. look at overnight lows down into the 20s over the southern plains. that will be in here, not 20s. so, again, tomorrow afternoon, expect plainly clear skies. clouds will increase. here comes the front wednesday night. that will usher in the cooler air. behind that nice arctic canadian pressure. that will build out of the ohio valley. north westerly wind will cool us down. 50 for tonight. 60s tomorrow with limited sunshine. there's the cooler air by thursday. 51 in town. manly cloudy skies. fog and drizzle. the same deal goes into tomorrow. isolated showers possible. 43 by wednesday night and 61 by thursday. but we'll start to bounce back into the warmer ter tore --

territory. over the weekend into the middle 60s. switching to democracy 2012 news, mitt romney may be feeling a post debate bounce but both of the candidates know this is about the battleground states. emily, tell us how the candidates are doing in the tossup states today? >> reporter: this is a new day with new polls. where we show a tightening race, key battleground states. first of all, in michigan, there's a new poll showing president obama's lead dwindling from 10 points last month to three points now. then go over to ohio. a new cnn/orc poll shows a statistical tie. but it's a shrinking lead and one in eight ohio voters polled said they could still change their mind before the election. that's exactly why you see both candidates in ohio today. it's president obama's 15th time

in the state and mitt romney is there a little later tonight. he is tailoring his message for the heartland. >> there are big differences between the president and me. he has in plan for rural america, no plans forking a culture, no plan for getting people back to work. i do. >> reporter: normally you would see the running mates crisscrossing across the battleground states. they are temporarily off the campaign trail. >> emily, talking about those debates, mitt romney's comment about big bird last week is getting more play. tell us what's developing with that. >> reporter: usually we talk about politics making for strange bed fellows. this case you have to factor in big bird's nest. big bird is the leading character in the now hob attack ad. >> big, yellow, a menace to our economy. mitt romney knows it's not wall street you have to worry b it's sesame street.

>> the sarcasm. it spots big bird with the likes of bernie madoff. romney said he would cut the federal subsidy to pbs to reduce the deafcy. romney said this had shows misplaced presidential priorities. >> these are tough times with real serious issues, so you have to scratch your head when the president spent the last week talking about big bird. we need a president talking about saving jobs and saving our future. >> reporter: sesame street said they are a nonprofit, not political organization. they don't endorse any candidates. they have called upon the obama campaign to pull this ad. >> wow. who knew big bird would play such a role in this election. >> reporter: a month to go. >> who's coming up next, elmo. we'll have to wait and see. kelly, back to you. you wrap up a nate -- night

at the ballpark, cheering on the o's or ravens and leave your mess for someone else. do you know who cleans up? >> reporter: this is what we're used to seeing, the lights, the action, the excitement, but this is not what we're used to the piles of trash, peer cans and peanut shells, lots of me nutshells. the lights dim and that's when term man and the crew get ready to go to work. >> it's an ordeal sometimes. >> reporter: the job of taking out the trash on a normal day take 180 members about 12 hours to complete, but when you factor

in the rain like we had the past few days, it can take even longer. >> all the trash bags be so heavy, the weight of the water plus the trash, just makes it heavier to pull to put in the cages. we attach it to the truck. >> reporter: he has been in business for 65 years. it started out as a school for dabbl -- disabled students but has grown. >> we are providing job opportunities for people with disabilities. >> reporter: he has 30 federal contracts, most in d.c. they also clean m&t bank stadium and bwi. they don't pay them minimum wage but the maryland state living wage of more than $12 an hour. what's better ron henderson said they get to rub elbows with orioles and ravens players

between games. >> they're part of the sports team. we're certainly proud to be part of that. >> it's a bunch of excitement. >> reporter: it's a pretty cool experience for workers who may in the get much credit. so if you seat o's play again this season or maybe head over to the bank for a ravens game, keep in mind the people in charge are keeping our stadium nice and tidy. in baltimore, charlie crowson, abc2 news. you can find everything orioles at abc2news.com. we have a special slideshow. you want to be in the know. here's what's coming up at 6:00. passengers trying to take the train from new york to d.c. ended up waiting at the station for hours. what caused the delay and how it impacted people's routine. >> and the omazing orioles are

in the big apple. how they're gearing up for game three. now a preview of what's head at 6:30. >> this week, the president sense his first interview, right on the eve of the vice-presidential debate. president obama and do i an -- diane sawyer.

as a pastor, my support for question 6 is rooted in my belief that the government should treat everyone equally. i would not want someone denying my rights based upon their religious views, therefore i should not deny others based upon mine. it's about fairness. this law does not force any church to perform a same sex marriage if it's against their beliefs. and that's what this is about. protecting religious freedom and protecting all marylanders equally under the law. join me in voting for question 6. contestants whipped up their favorite dishes using squirrel meating. they made things from bacon

wrapped squirrel wings to poppers. they eve chopped up whole rodents. >> it has its own unique taste. it has a rougher texture and a game mier taste -- gameyer taste but it's good. >> the winning dish -- squirrel sliders. >> will's not enough bless you's to help this dog. oliver came down with a serious case of the sneezes. she said oliver is sensitive to the black pepper in his family's dinner. >> sneezing wasn't one of the competitions but most pet lovers think their pet scan doian thing. these doggies are taking part in an like style competition from

hurdles, obstacle courses, catching things in the pool, in the mid-air. they can do just about everything. the family of a bullied girl uses social media to spread awareness about cyber bullying. >> more coming up on abc2 news at six which starts right now. no a 16-year-old girl is shot dead sunday night. why a family's love isn't enough to save her from going down the wrong path. metal prices are on the rise and burglars are taking note. train delays met some yankees fans. the reason for the delays and how the trains are rung tonight. a teenage girl shot and killed sunday night leaving her